Back to Index

13 congregants still in police custody as police violate Mukoyi's right to health
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
April 11, 2011

13 of the 14 congregants who were arrested while attending a prayer meeting on Saturday 9 April 2011 in Glen Norah suburb of Harare were still detained in police custody on Monday 11 April 2011.

Police only released one juvenile, who was arrested together with the congregants when riot police violently stormed and suppressed a church service organised to pray for peace in the high density suburb.

The 13 congregants, who include four Pastors have since Saturday 9 April 2011 been detained in filthy police cells at Glen Norah Police station before being transferred to Harare Central Police Station on Sunday 10 April 2011. As has become custom, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights member lawyers, Marufu Mandevere of Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni Legal Practitioners and Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa, Mtisi Legal Practitioners, were denied access to their clients at Glen Norah Police station despite numerous requests to be able to interview their clients.

One of the detainees Shakespeare Mukoyi was brutally assaulted by police officers in the church building in Glen Norah before being taken to the police station. Since then, Shakespeare has been denied access to full medication after undergoing an X-ray examination which determined the need for urgent treatment. Police allegedly took him to Harare Hospital during the night on Saturday 9 April where he was attended to briefly before he was unceremoniously seized from the hospital where the X-ray examination was being undertaken and re-detained at Harare Central Police Station holding cells despite the fact that he was in intense pain, with a swollen head, red left eye, left swollen palm and was finding it very difficult to walk without assistance.

On Sunday 10 April, when Mukoyi's lawyers were allowed access to interview him they indicated to the police officers that their client was in serious pain and could not walk as a result of the injuries he sustained from the assault by the police. Mukoyi was then once again taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital where he was again examined. He was taken back to the police cells after the Doctor indicated that he was not supposed to be admitted to hospital as the X ray taken did not show any injuries.

One of the four Pastors, who is in police custody together with Pastor Mukome, the Resident Priest at the Nazarene Church, Pastor Isaya was also assaulted by the police.

The 13 congregants were on Sunday 10 April charged with committing the crime of 'public violence' as defined in the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act and they are yet to appear in court as police indicated that they are doing further investigations with the arresting officers since the facts do not disclose that some of the detainees committed any offence.

Background

The congregants were arrested by anti-riot police on Saturday 9 April 2011 during a church service organised to pray for peace. The church service had originally been scheduled for St Peters Kubatana Centre in Highfields, but the venue was changed after police camped in Highfields overnight and sealed off the venue to block people from accessing the grounds.

Riot police stormed the church hall during prayer, and dispersed the congregation, which included many church, civic and community leaders and assaulted congregants who were inside and outside the church.

The police went on to indiscriminately fire tear gas canisters at residences and churches surrounding the venue of the church service. Even children who were within and outside the parameters of the church were affected by the tear smoke and the police clampdown.

The church service was organised by a coalition of churches under the theme "Saving Zimbabwe . . . .the unfinished journey". The church service was aimed at presenting an opportunity to pray for peace in Zimbabwe as part of the process of finishing the journey to save the country. It was also meant to commemorate the events of the 11 March 2007 Save Zimbabwe Prayer Meeting, where one activist Gift Tandare was shot dead while over 100 political and human rights activists were arrested, tortured and detained through similar heavy-handed police action.

Visit the ZLHR fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP